MotoGP

IANNONE WELL INTO POINT IN ARAGON, RINS FINISHES 17TH

Team Suzuki Press Office – September 23.

Andrea Iannone: 12th - +20.632
Alex Rins: 17th - +31.874

The last European race before the three long journeys and the grand finale in Valencia has just ended with the Aragon GP. It was a tough race for the riders of Team SUZUKI ECSTAR which saw Andrea Iannone end in 12th place and Alex Rins in 17th.

The morning sessions were delayed by fog, but when the sun did come to burn through the clouds and warm up the track, both Iannone and Rins were able to carry out a positive warm-up. The Italian finished in 11th place (1'49.681 / +0.849s) and the Spaniard in 15th (1'49.883 / +1.051s).

The race then took a bitter turn, with both riders struggling to either find a good pace or advance from their position. Starting from 10th place, Iannone had a good jump at the start, but then progressively lost positions to end in 12th. The weekend saw him improve his performance in general and get some important direction for the future, which makes his weekend a positive one.

Rins struggled the whole weekend to effectively find the right feel on the bike and unfortunately the race followed the trend. The jump at the start was a positive one, but then he lost some positions in the first lap. His attempt to recover continued until the end but was unable to produce better than his final 17th place.

The Team will stay in Aragon until Wednesday for two days of private testing, to make up for the days lost in Misano because of poor weather. The main objectives will be to test different configurations and parts that the team believes will lead to an entirely better performing package.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager
“It has been a difficult weekend for us and difficult race for us. Both riders were able to finish the race and at least this is a bit of positive news but we couldn’t get enough speed. Andrea showed he is fast in qualifying, but unfortunately it was another story for the race and he could not maintain the pace; in the end he finished in 12th. Regarding Alex´s performance, he improved from qualifying, but not enough. After this race we will have two more days of testing. We will be trying many parts for next year and trying to improve in order to be completely prepared for next year.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“It was a difficult race because we suffered a bit on this track. Andrea and Alex raced on two different types of tyres, Andrea with the medium and Alex with the hard, but neither of them proved to be effective in fixing the problem. In a way I can see the positive aspects in all of this: Andrea has improved a bit compared to previous races and even competing with others helps us to better cope with things. And although Alex couldn’t get into the points on such a difficult track, it is interesting for us to have two days of testing to check out the situation and look for solutions. We want to prepare well for the next race in Japan, which is an important race for us at home. In the tests we will not be starting completely anew, but there are a number of things we want to further test. We are likewise trying to find the right combination of the various elements such as the frame, the settings, and other parts, including electronics. We need to improve the mix, the whole package of this bike. Meanwhile we continue to collect information for 2018. “

Andrea Iannone
“It has not been a really positive race in terms of the final result because we came here to achieve better results. On the other hand, this weekend we struggled less than in the other recent grands prix and I hope this might be a nice restart for Suzuki, the team, and myself. The most positive aspect is that together we are looking to improve, to reduce the gap with our rivals, and solve some of our problems. I would like to thank Suzuki for their efforts and the work they are doing and I hope that within a short time we will get to where we want to be. In any case I'm happy with our performance we even with the difficulties.”

Alex Rins
“It has been a very hard race, the one that cost me the most so far. At the start I did well and gained positions, but before finishing the first lap I lost a few places. Several riders have overtaken me in the braking, which is where I struggle the most. I had a hard time overtaking riders and I could not establish a rhythm. The positive side is that this experience serves us well for the future and we have learned many things today.”